


Dancing with the Waves

by BlazingEspeon33



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Accidental fusion, Beach Summer Fun Buddies being Beach Summer Fun Buddies, Fluff, Fusion, Gen, HOW DO YOU TAG THINGS, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Platonic Relationship, lots and lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 04:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11120013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlazingEspeon33/pseuds/BlazingEspeon33
Summary: She begins her dance again, but slower this time, for him to catch up. She doesn’t correct his posture or movements; she wants him to have that freedom; but he’s doing a pretty good job, and soon he’s twirling along beside her.





	Dancing with the Waves

Steven has never felt more bored. The gems are away, taking care of ‘ _business’_ (to quote Amethyst), so he’s alone in the house.

He’s tried watching TV, but the programs currently playing are totally boring; Crying Breakfast Friends isn’t going to be on for a couple more hours.

And he’s not sure if he can wait that long, lest he explode from boredom.

So he tries video games instead.

That doesn’t work either. He’s played them over and over many times before. It’s always fun with the gems. But they’re not here. They’re somewhere, far, far away.

Lonely Blade comes into mind, but he’s rewatched every DVD he has of it at least thrice.

He lets out a groan. He makes up his mind. If there’s nothing to do inside, he may as well go outside to find something to do.

He grins to himself as he makes his way down the stairs leading to the beach. It’s a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining brightly down on Beach City, fluffy white clouds drifting lazily through the clear blue sky. The sound of the ocean waves lapping against the shore sets the calm atmosphere. Steven sighs in contentment as he stares at the ocean briefly, enjoying the view before jogging towards the town.

He makes a trip to the Big Doughnut. He grabs a couple of doughnuts before thanking Lars and Sadie and heading back outside. He realizes there’s not much to do outside either. Peedee is busy at the fry shop, and the Cool Kids are nowhere to be found. Well there’s the arcade, but…nah. He doesn’t feel like playing games at the moment.

With a disappointed sigh, he shuffles back towards the Temple.

The salty smell of the ocean breeze hits him as he draws near. He’s munching on a doughnut as he flops onto the sand, deciding to stay a little and enjoy the beach.

Then he spots her.

Steven stares at the blue figure on the beach, in a secluded area near the rockpools. He doesn’t know when she got there, but he decides he doesn’t care.

He watches in awe as Lapis Lazuli dances with the waves, knee deep in the crystalline water.

He’s never seen her dance before; at least, not this freely.

The first time he’s seen her dance, was on this very same beach where she fused with Jasper. Back then, he thought she’d betrayed them. He’d thought she’d betrayed _him_.

But she’d fooled everyone. He’d watched in horror as she dragged Malachite under the waves, never to be seen until he’d contacted her via astral projection. And after that she was never seen until a few weeks later, right before the Cluster emerged.

Lapis was scarred, refusing to fuse again.

But apparently that hasn’t stopped her from dancing. Doughnuts forgotten, Steven leaves the bag on the sand as he runs towards the rocks near the rock pool to take a closer look.

He continues to watch.

 

 

* * *

 

 

She crouches forward, cupping water gently between her palms and bringing it to life as she starts to dance. The liquid follows her movement as she twirls and dips, her feet shuffling along the ocean floor as she moves with the waves.

She smiles, enjoying every second of it. It’s a great feeling; _freedom._ She still can’t grasp it, but it’s there. It’s that happy feeling that comes up once in a while, as she starts to adjust to life on Earth. She’s free. Free to do whatever she wants with no one to hold her down or control her. She’s no longer trapped.

The happy feeling keeps rising, and she can’t help the laughter that comes with it. Her gem glows, and two wings swirl into existence behind her. They flap and follow her movements as well, just like the water.

And she can _feel_ it flowing within her as well. She’s one with the ocean. She can feel it with every twirl, with every step, with every movement of her arms. The water keeps following her, swirling around her arms, circling around her hair and body. A few droplets splash down onto her. But she doesn’t mind. She loves the feel of water against her skin.

It used to remind her so, so much of Malachite. Of the watery prison she held them in. Of the chains straining against her wrists. But she’s slowly getting used to it again, without getting reminded of her last prison. The news that Jasper was currently bubbled away was that last step, and she’s ready to go so far as to dance with it again.

She’s reawakened her bond with the ocean.

As her dance progresses, she’s oblivious to the small curly haired boy watching her. She twirls around one more time and falls to her knee, in a bow. Her wings gleam in the sunlight, making them shimmer even more.

Then there’s clapping.

Lapis pretends she doesn’t let out an undignified yelp. She also _definitely does not_ fall into the water in surprise. The water that was previously floating around and dancing with her falls back into the ocean with several splashes.

Steven lets out a soft “Oops” and wades into the water to check on her.

She surfaces, spluttering and tucking strands of her wet hair behind her ear. Her wings fold back into her gem as she stares at him.

“Steven, my stars, you scared me,” she mutters as she picks herself up, her whole body drenched in salt water and her dress sticking uncomfortably to her legs.

The half gem lets out a sheepish chuckle. “Sorry, Lapis. I was walking along the beach when I saw you dancing over here.” Suddenly his eyes are wide and starry, and he has this huge, dopey grin on his face. “That was _so cool_ , Lapis!”

Even though she’s wet and cold against the ocean breeze, Lapis can feel herself start to heat up with embarrassment and a tad bit of pride. She scratches her neck awkwardly. “Thanks, Steven.”

Steven edges closer to her, eyes still sparkling. “You’ve gotta teach me to dance like that! And the water floating around you and the wings? That was awesome!”

She’s definitely blushing now, not used to receiving so much praise. “Ah…maybe? I mean, not with the water following you around because you don’t have water powe-“

Within seconds Steven is waddling over to stand beside her, practically bouncing. He grabs her hand and bounces on his heels excitedly. “You could make it float around me though! Oh man once we’re done I want to show the gems! They’re gonna love it!”

He’s splashing the both of them now, with his little jumps sending waves rolling everywhere. Lapis wouldn’t be so surprised if he starts floating into the air with excitement at this point.

Ironically, he’s already beginning to float, unaware of his floating powers being activated. On the next jump, he shoots high into the air. Lapis startles, summoning her water wings and soaring up to grab his foot.

“Woah, calm down there buddy.” She pulls him down into the water again. “I don’t want to have to fly after you into space.”

Steven’s excitement falters a bit. “Oops. Sorry.”

“S’okay.” Now it’s _her_ eyes that’s sparkling. “So you wanna have a dance lesson?”

“Yes!”

She chuckles a bit at his enthusiasm. “Okay, okay. Let’s start off easy.”

She begins her dance again, but slower this time, for him to catch up. She doesn’t correct his posture or movements; she wants him to have that freedom; but he’s doing a pretty good job, and soon he’s twirling along beside her.

The two of them laugh as they dance, Lapis in her graceful melancholic way, and Steven with his ‘funky flow’.

Neither of them notice as their gems glow brightly.

They pass by each other; Lapis, twirling, and Steven, shuffling.

And suddenly there’s a whole new gem sitting in the water, utterly confused. As soon as they appear, they break apart again. Steven blinks in confusion, trying to remember _what the heck just happened_.

Then he sees Lapis, crouching in the water, shaking. And he remembers.

They _fused_.

A wave of guilt rushes over him, and instantly he’s drenching Lapis in more seawater as he splashes over to her. He crouches beside her, enveloping her in a hug, whimpering words of apology over and over until she silences him by wrapping both arms around his neck and mumbling “It’s okay.”

Her thumb brushes against his eye, wiping liquid, and he realizes he’s tearing up. He squeezes harder. “I’m really sorry, Lapis.”

“It’s okay.” 

There's a moment of silence. And then-

"Are you okay?" asks Steven tentatively, breaking it. 

"Yeah." She pulls away and looks him in the eye.

“Steven. I’m not ready yet. But maybe, when I _am_ ready, I might fuse with you first.”

She’s felt it in their brief fusion; this was nothing like Malachite. While Malachite was chains and pain, this fusion was only safety and happiness…and love. She likes that feeling. In the back of her mind she’s wondering if this is how it is with Garnet.

There’s always love surrounding the tall gem. The love Ruby and Sapphire have for each other is passionate and fierce. Steven’s love for her is entirely platonic; like how a brother would love a sister. But it's passionate and fierce nonetheless. Lapis decides she likes that feeling. She kind of wants to feel that again. But not right now. 

Steven’s eyes are sparkling. "Really?"

She finds herself smiling. "Yeah." 

Lapis stands up and holds her hand out to him. “How about we dance again? But individually, this time.”

Steven grins. “Sounds like a good idea.”

They spend the rest of the day doing just that, having fun under the sun.

Because if they aren’t, what good are their titles as Beach Summer Fun Buddies?

**Author's Note:**

> Yo 
> 
> This is my very first Steven Universe oneshot. I really love the relationship between Steven and Lapis and I needed more of that so I wrote this x3
> 
> I apologise for any writing inconsistencies or spelling errors 
> 
> Constructive critisism and feedback is greatly appreciated!


End file.
